PRESIDENT CLINTON NAMES BILL RICHARDSON
TO SERVE AS U.S. REPRESENTATIVE TO THE FORTY-SECOND SESSION
OF THE INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY GENERAL CONFERENCE

The President today announced his intent to nominate Bill
Richardson as U.S. Representative for the Forty-Second Session of the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference.

Secretary Bill Richardson, of Santa Fe, New Mexico, is currently
the Secretary of Energy. Previously, he served as the U.S. Ambassador to
the United Nations. He has twice been nominated for the Nobel Peace
Prize. Secretary Richardson has worked to free hostages and prisoners
from Croatia, Burma, Cuba, Iraq, North Korea and Sudan, and negotiated
the peaceful transfer of power in the former Zaire, now the Domocratic
Republic of the Congo. Prior to his work at the United Nations,
Secretary Richardson served New Mexico's 3rd Congressional District for
eight terms. As a member of the U.S. Congress, he held one of the
highest ranking posts in the House Democratic Leadership serving as
Chief Deputy Whip. As a senior member of the Commerce Committee, he
took a leadership role in the U.S. Department of Energy's Los Alamos
and Sandia National Laboratories. Secretary Richardson also was a
member of the Natural Resources Committee, the Permanent Select
Committee on Intelligence, the Helsinki Commission on Human Rights, and
chaired the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

Secretary Richardson received a B.A. from Tufts University and an
M.A. from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. In addition, he
has received a number of honorary degrees and has been presented with
many honors and awards during his career, such as Mexico's highest honor
given to non-citizens, the Aztec Golden Eagle award.

As U.S. Representative for the Forty-Second Session of the IAEA
General Conference, Secretary Richardson will approve the IAEA 1999-2000
program and budget. The IAEA will consider a full range of items
related to the IAEA safeguards, nuclear safety, and technical
cooperation activities. The Secretary of Energy traditionally leads the
U.S. delegation to the IAEA General Conference. The General Conference
is a major international event, bringing together ministerial-level
representatives from 120 countries. Some of the key issues which might
be discussed at the General Conference include: transparent and
irreversible United States-Russian nuclear materials protection,
control, and accountability in the former Soviet Union, conversion of
Russian plutonium production reactors, and the Fissile Material Cutoff
Treaty.